Flush attachment plug-receptacle.



c. n. PLATT. FLUSH ATTACHMENT PLUG BEGEPTACLE. APPLIOATIGH FILED APB.. 25, 1910.

968,261. Patented Aug.23, 1910.

- IN1/fumi? Atapping into a main.

CLARENCE D. PLATT, 0F BRIDGEPRT, CONNECTICUT.

FLUSH ATTACHMENT PLUG-RECEPTACLE.

.Speoimion of Letters Patent-` Patented Aug. 23, 1910.

Application led April 25, 1910. Serial No. 557,557.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE D. PLATT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, county of Fairfield, State of Connecticut, Vhave invented an Improvement in Flush Attachment Plug-Receptacles, of which the followin is a specification.

This invention re ates to flush attachment plug receptacles and has for its general object to simplify and cheapen and to greatly improve their construction and mode of opr eration in use.

It is one of the objects'of the invention to provide a receptacle of this general character in which the terminals instead of being rigidly secured in place as heretofore shall be unattached and loose, and while securely retained in operative position, shall be free to move within reasonable limits so that should the plug contact pins `be bent out of parallel, engagement may still be effected with the terminals. r

A further object of the invention "is to provide the receptacle with 4contact bushings so constructed that whenever engage-v ment is made between the plug contact pins and thel terminals of the receptacle, perfect electrical contact is effected even if thecontzltlctl pins are appreciably bent out of para e A further object of the invention is to provide a construction that shall dispense with Vthe usual terminal attaching screws in the bottom of the receptacle.

A further object of the invention is to provide a receptacle so constructed that a pair of line wires may be passed through the receptacle without cutting the wires'or With these and other objects in view the lnvention consists 1n certaln constructions and 1n certaln parts, lmprovements and combinations which will be hereinafter describedV and then specifically pointed out in the claims hereunto appended.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a front elevation of my novel receptacle with a plug in engagement therewith, the face late and plug being partly broken away; ig. 2 a side elevation partly in vertical section; Fig. 3 an end elevation partly in section, the plug being detached; Flg. 4 a perspective `of the insulating top block detached; Fig. 5 a perf;

' in connection with-Fig. l that these bin casing, 11 an inbase are outwardly extending lugs 20. Each terminal comprises a plate 21 bent to'the casing, 12 an inform of steps, the lower step indicated specifically by 21a resting in one of the sockets 19. This ste has rigidly secured -thereto a contact bushing 22 which is adapted to receive one of the contact pins. Each pin is provided with a circumferential groove 23 which is engagedby a projection 24 on a spring 25 which is formed by making cuts 26 in the bushing. The action of the spring is to force the pin against the wall of the bushing so as to elfect practically a perfect contact as a large portion of each pin is held `in engagement with .the corresponding bushing. 27 denotes a binding screw which engages the upper step of plate 21 which .is speclically indicated by 2l". Thel angle of this upper step which is indicated by 28 engages a shoulder 29 in the base, It will be understood from Fi 5 screws are diagonally opposite to each otherg. The insulating top block is so shaped as to loosely retain the terminals-in place and to ill recess 18 in the base. It is provided in its underside with holes 30 which receive the contact bushings loosely and inalinement therewitlrwith guide holes 31 through which the contact pins pass, these guide4 holes terminating in circularlanges 32 which extend through holes 33. in the cover plate. On opposlte sides of the top block are recesses 34 which receive the upper steps of the terminals and the binding screws. The top' block is secured to the base by screws35 which pass upward through lu 20 and through the ends of the top blocs secure ears 36 to the top block. The. top block and base are secured in the casing by means of screws 37 Which pass through ears and engage the ends of the casing, and the cover p ate is secured in place by means of and' also vPatent No. 948,707, dated screwsBS which engage the ears. The spe-l cial objects of this construction of the base and' top plate are to leave the terminals unattached and free to move within reasonable limits so that they may be engaged by the contact pins and perfect electrical contact made even though the ins should be bent appreciably out of para el and furthermore to avoid the necessity for terminal attach-` in screws in the bottom of the base. It wi 1 of course be understood that the use of these attaching screws is necessarily objectionable. They add to the cost of manufacture and require that the base be erforated, the holes being ordinarily fille after assemblin with wax, which will melt at a relative y low tem erature and leave the screws exposed. he electric conductors,

' which may be the line wires, enter the casing through holes 39, pass between the casing, the ends of the base and lu s 20 and then pass over the base and top b ock and downward and out at the other end of the base.

-40 denotes lon itudinal grooves or channels which are gormed artly in `the' base and partly in the top blbck to receive the conductors, so that they lwill be eifectually insulated by walls of insulating material. By providing the stepped terminals and placin the binding screws on the upper step thereo I avoid the necessity of tapping into the mains or line wires for each receptacle and simply pass the line wires themselves through the receptacles, each line wire being assed through one of the grooves 40 in the ase and top lock and a portion thereof being skinned, as at 41 in Fig. 1, and passed under a binding screwin close engagement therewith. I preferably use upon my novel receptacle the form of lnsulated cover plate described and claimed in m former Letters eb, 8, 1910, although that is not essential, as with my present construction there need be no cutting of the line wires and consequently no free ends of wire, the line wires being wholly within the rooves or channels in the base and to bloc and out of contact with any metallic parts.

The plug, indicated as a whole by 16, comprises a block 42 of insulating material hav# ing a hole 43 throu h which the electrical conductor passes and a recess 44 in which the terminals 45 carrying binding screws 46 are secured. The'contact pins are provided with reduced ends which pass through holes in the terminals leaving shoulders 47 which engage the terminals, the ends of the pins being molded rigidly in the plug. This construction enables me to dispense with the usual terminal attaching screws and leaves4 the surface of the plug clear for marking purposes.

48 denotes an insulatin cover plate for the plug which is prefera ly made of ber 'ment with the blnding and is secured to the underside of the plug covering the recess and eiectually insulatin the terminals and binding screws.

aving thus described my invent-ion, l claim:

1. receptacle of the character described oo mpr1sing 'a base having a recess, loose terminals in said recess and a to block by which the terminals are retained 1n lace.

y 2. A receptacle of the character escribed comprising a base having a recess, loose terminals in said recess each comprising a stepped plate, a contact bushing and a binding screw and a to block by which the terminals are retaine in place. i

3. A receptacle of the character d-cribed comprising a base having a recess, loose terminals in said recess each comprismg a plate having upper and -lower steps, a contact bushing secured to the lower step, and a binding screw engaging the upper step, and a top lock by which the terminals are retained in place.

4. A receptacle of the character described comprisin a base having a recess with sockets in its bottom and shoulders, loose terminals seated in the sockets, each comprising a lower step having a contact bushing secured thereto and an upper step having an angle engaging the shoulder and-a binding screw and a top block having recesses which receive the upper ends of the terminals and the binding screws and which retains the terminals in place.

5. A receptacle of the character described comprising a base having a recess, loose terminals in said recess each comprising a plate having upper and lower steps, a contact bushing secured to the lower step and a binding screw en aging the upper step, and a top block having holes which receive the contact bushings and guide holes for contact pins in alinement therewith.

6. A receptacle of the character described comprising a casing, a base secured thereto, terminals and binding screws in the base and a top block, said base and top block being provided with grooves in alinement with the binding screws through which the line wires may pass without cutting.

7. VA receptacle of the character described lcomprising a casing having holes for conductors, a base having lugs at its ends by which it is secured to the casing, terminals and binding screws in the base, and a top block, said base and to block being rovided with longitudina grooves in a inescrews and line wires which ass between t e casing and the base, along t e grooves and in enga ment with the binding screws andout at t e other end of the casing. I

8. A receptacle of the character described comprising a base having a recess,yloose terminals seated therein, each comprising a plate having a lower step with a contact ushing secured-thereto', and an upper step with a binding screw and a to block covering the recess in the base an having recesses to receive the upper steps of the terminals and the binding screws.

- 9. A receptacle of the character described comprising a. having a recess, loose terminals seated therein, each comprising a late having a lower step with a contact ushin secured thereto, and an upper step with a inding screw and a top block covering the recess 1n the base and having recesses to receive the upper steps of the terminals and the vbinding screws, said base and top block havinggrooves in alinement with the binding screws which are adapted to receive line wires without cutting.

10. A receptacle of the character described comprising a b'ase having a recess, loose terminals seated therein, each comprising a plate having a lower step with av ontact ushin secured thereto, and an ,upper step with ainding screw and a top block'covering the recess in the base and having holes which receive the contact bushings and guide holes for contact pins in alinement therewith.

11. The combination with a receptacle comprising a base having a recess, loose terminals therein, each comprising a stepped plate, a contact bushin and a binding screw and a top block having holes=to receive the contact bushings loosely and guide holes in alinement therewith, of a plug having contact guide ho es and engage the bushings.

12. The combination with a receptacle comprising a base havinga recess, loose terminals therein each comprising a lower step ins adapted to pass through the carrying a contact bushing and an upper step carrying a binding screw and a top l contact pins adapted to pass through the guide holes and engage the bushings.

13. The combination with a base having a recess, loose terminals therein each comprising` a plate having upper and lower steps, a contact bushing secured to the lower step and provided with -a spring, and a binding screw engaging the upper step and a top block having holes to receive the bushings loosely and ide holes in alinement therewith, of a p ug having contact pins which are adapted to pass throu h the guide holes and into the bushin s and e held in engagement therewith by t e springs.

14. The combination with a base having arecess, loose terminals therein each comprising a plate having upper and lower steps, a contact bushing secured to the lower step and provided with a spring having an engaging projection and a' binding screw engaging the upper step and a top block having holes to receive the bushings loosely and 1de .holes in alinement therewith, of a plug avin contact pins which are adapted to pass t rough the guide holes and into the bushings and are provided with grooves which are engaged by the projections on the spring.

In testimon whereof I aiix my signature in presence o two witnesses.

, CLARENCE D. PLATT.

Witnesses A. M.`Woos'rER, S. W. ATHER'roN. 

